This invention relates to a device that enables a woman to safely and hygenically urinate while in a standing position. More particularly this invention relates to a portable device for external use that has a water soluable disposable liner that can be safely flushed down a toilet.
Many women, particularly those who travel extensively or work in office buildings, are forced to use public rest facilities. For the most part, public toilets are unclean and unsanitary. With the spread of communicable diseases such as acquired immunity deficiency syndrome (AIDS) many women refuse to come into bodily contact with public toilets and elect to urinate while standing. This, however, has proven to be an unsatisfactory solution to the problem in that it sometimes leads to soiling of clothing and the like.
Many different types of devices have been devised which help women urinate while in a standing position. Some of these devices, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,995,329 and 4,496,355, are adapted to be positioned inside the labia folds of the users vaginal cavity. The placing of foreign objects within this region is objectionable for medical and hygenic reasons particularly when the device is to be reused a number of times. These internal devices, because of their construction, are oftentimes difficult to cleanse after each use and thus pose a very real health hazard.
Urinal devices have also been developed for use by women which are adapted to be fitted externally over the mouth of the vulva in register with the uretha. These external devices are generally fabricated of plastic, hard rubber, stiff cardboard or other similarly hard materials which, when pressed securely against the woman's sensitive perineum region, can cause irritation. For the most part these devices do not contain disposable inserts or liners which might be removed and easily discarded after use. As a consequence the device must be thoroughly cleansed after each use to avoid unwanted odors and other sanitary related problems. Examples of these types of rigid reusable devices can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,613,122 and 1,407,872.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,058 there is disclosed a female urinal having a rigid cup-like outer shell and a flexible inner liner that protrudes outward beyond the shell's upper opening. The liner is folded over the opening to cushion the rim area for the comfort and protection of the user. The liner is not disposable and both it and the outer shell must be cleaned after each use. The device is specifically designed to be used by a woman who is bedridden and must urinate in a supine position. U.S. Pat. No. 190,244 also describes an unlined hard rubber urinal for use by invalids or the like who cannot leave their beds.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,528,703 and 4,023,219 disclose reusable urinal devices that assists women in urinating while in a standing position. Each of these devices has a flexible pad or membrane surrounding the entrance of a rigid cup which contacts the vulva region. The pad prevents unwanted leakage from the cup and also is used as a wiping instrument to remove excess moisture from the contacted body region after use. In the latter patent, the pad is a multilayered horseshoe device that surrounds the rear lip of the collector. The top layer of the pad is formed of soft moisture absorbent paper and the inner layer is formed of a stiffer casein or gelatine material that disolves in water. The pad can be removed from the device after use and flushed into a sanitary drain system without harm. It should be noted that the collector does not contain a disposable liner or the like. Here again, these devices are difficult to clean and store after they have been used and are generally ill fitting and uncomfortable when being used.